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Closed - Ranga Handmade Pens- Solid Ebonite Colours Group Buy- Bock Titanium Nibs Available


mpkandan

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Hello Muddy
I thought you might be interested to see them side by side...
I will give you some impressions on the first 5 in the first photo.

The Emperor and the Model 3 (at least this version of it) are actually similar in size, both very comfortable.
The section is slightly larger that in model 3, but this is not so important to me, it's a slight difference which I get very quickly used to when writing.
Both are in bakul finish, which gives them a satin finish, and that feels very nice in the hand. Both are CC, so also the ink flow is similar.
I have used the 3C quite a lot (it was one of my first Ranga pens) and as you may notice, there is a hint of discoloration on the section caused by use and washing (This makes me assume bakul is slightly less protected from aging than polished finish). It's something I don't really mind, reminds me it's well lived.
The main difference is in the nib. Both are B nibs (in larger size pens like these I usually do like broader nibs), the Jowo is extremely smooth and stiff, the Bock just very slightly more toothy and very slightly more bouncy (I'm really talking of faint differences).
The fact that the 3C is slightly shorter when uncapped makes no difference when you hold it, it's still a big pen and stays firmly in the hand. Oddly the 3C is longer than the Emperor when capped!
All in all they are very similar pens both very nice.

I have a slight preference with the shape of the Model 3 in my hand, but again we are talking of very slight differences.
I have not yet tried the titanium Bock nib on the model 3, so will not comment.
I have other model 3s, a great pen, I love the flat top shape too.

The Sugarcane is a lovely pen, although the odd shape makes it slightly less comfortable.
The section tends to be smaller than the 3 and also the 8B so you may not like it... the section is long enough for me not to feel discomfort despite there is quite a sharp step further back.
The two halves of the pen which close flush (barrel and cap) are almost the same length and the seam is almost invisible. Nice design, were it not for the fact that often I open it from the wrong side and find myself with the cap in the right hand instead of the barrel...
This pen is an ED with ebonite feed and a Conklin marked M Bock nib. Flow is fantastic, very likely the best of all 5. The nib is also very smooth.
Just a slight burping problem every now and again but I suspect that it's because I hold this pen in my hand so much, I can't put it down...

The 8B is a great shape, extremely comfortable. I have other 8Bs and love them.
This one was not according to my expectation. As I mentioned elsewhere I wanted to give the Kanwrite flex nib a go.
In reality I found there is very little flex, perhaps some bounciness, but not much else. I'm not too fond of F nibs so this is a tad too narrow for my liking.
When first tested it was rather scratchy too, and had to be corrected on micromesh. Flow was also not too good, the tines were too tight, a pity the nibs seems to be marring the theoretically generous flow of ED + ebonite feed.
The pen itself is gorgeous, the green/kaki colour is very elegant. The nib disappointed me. I tried switching it with other #6 nibs, but none would fit well, all other nibs tried are much thinner and will fall out of the section... I's sort of stuck with it as is for now.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just got my Ranga. It is a very nice pen but the Kanwrite flex nib is having trouble writing. I heat-set the feed, cleaned the pen and filled the ED; still having trouble. I emailed Mr. Kandan and I hope to have a solution. When the flex nib writes well, it gives a good flow and nice feedback so I hope it is just a technical mishap that can be fixed.

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sadly the Kanwrite flex did not work for me...

I'll have to ask Mr. Kandan if he can send me a spare Kanwrite M or B to swap it with, I'd rather have a juicy nib even though stiff, than this reduced flow F with no relevant flex...

perhaps I'll wait for the next group buy an then ask him to drop one in...

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sadly the Kanwrite flex did not work for me...

I'll have to ask Mr. Kandan if he can send me a spare Kanwrite M or B to swap it with, I'd rather have a juicy nib even though stiff, than this reduced flow F with no relevant flex...

perhaps I'll wait for the next group buy an then ask him to drop one in...

I took out the flex for now and there is a #6 jinhao nib, the only nib I had laying around. Writes well enough. I'm quite fond of the pen body though.

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sadly the Kanwrite flex did not work for me...

I'll have to ask Mr. Kandan if he can send me a spare Kanwrite M or B to swap it with, I'd rather have a juicy nib even though stiff, than this reduced flow F with no relevant flex...

perhaps I'll wait for the next group buy an then ask him to drop one in...

 

Did you get the eyedropper with the ebonite feed?

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Anyone still waiting on their pens? Haven't heard news about mine, which I ordered at the end of the group buy window. Just wanted to see where others were before bothering Mr. Kandan with an inquiry.

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Anyone still waiting on their pens? Haven't heard news about mine, which I ordered at the end of the group buy window. Just wanted to see where others were before bothering Mr. Kandan with an inquiry.

 

Yes, I ordered a little before you. Patience is a virtue and we will be pleasantly surprised, I believe, when notification comes that they are shipping.

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Yes, I ordered a little before you. Patience is a virtue and we will be pleasantly surprised, I believe, when notification comes that they are shipping.

 

I have no problem with waiting, as I'm not going to order a custom pen from across the world if I'm on any kind of deadline so am not in a hurry for it. I know I'll get a great pen and that Ranga customer service has always been excellent in my experience. A pen order shipping when it should or shortly after it should is not any kind of surprise, pleasant or otherwise.

 

I just wanted to make sure that I haven't been accidentally overlooked, as I figured maybe group buys can be a little chaotic, since the estimated ship-by date has passed. The Rangas I've ordered in the past were always shipped well ahead of the estimated date, but I have no experience with group buys and just wanted to get a feel for the timing.

 

Thanks to your answer, I know that everything is most likely fine and I can continue to wait.

Edited by crosshatch
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Dear All,

 

Thanks for your good support. We have shipped all the pens.

I have sent shipment details in mail.

We will see you again in Super exciting group buy very soon

 

 

Regards,

Kandan.M.P

Ranga Pen Company

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I took out the flex for now and there is a #6 jinhao nib, the only nib I had laying around. Writes well enough. I'm quite fond of the pen body though.

May have to try a Jinhao...all other #6 nibs I had were too thin...

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Did you get the eyedropper with the ebonite feed?

Yes mine was the ED with ebonite feed, I usually prefer Ranga pens in ED due to the ebonite feed which provides great flow, but with this Kanwrite flex nib flow was not generous as usual and I could not get much flex out of the nib. The nib was also unusually misaligned, the feed would tend to stay more to one side, even trying to fix it it would return in the same position...rather odd.

I tried swapping the Kanwrite nib with others (since its friction fit, I just pull it out and use the same ebonite feed with a different nib).

However I tried Bock, Jowo, Stipula, Delta, Omas, #6 but they were all too thin, the nib would not stay firm, in some cases even fall out.

So I either get another Kanwrite, broader, hoping in better flow, as I don't really like fine nibs too much (with some exceptions), or I find a thicker nib that stays put (Jinhao as suggested by Muddy might work).

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Yes mine was the ED with ebonite feed, I usually prefer Ranga pens in ED due to the ebonite feed which provides great flow, but with this Kanwrite flex nib flow was not generous as usual and I could not get much flex out of the nib. The nib was also unusually misaligned, the feed would tend to stay more to one side, even trying to fix it it would return in the same position...rather odd.

I tried swapping the Kanwrite nib with others (since its friction fit, I just pull it out and use the same ebonite feed with a different nib).

However I tried Bock, Jowo, Stipula, Delta, Omas, #6 but they were all too thin, the nib would not stay firm, in some cases even fall out.

So I either get another Kanwrite, broader, hoping in better flow, as I don't really like fine nibs too much (with some exceptions), or I find a thicker nib that stays put (Jinhao as suggested by Muddy might work).

I believe the penbbs feed made a difference too, as I noticed with the ebonite feed the fit was looser as well.

 

The jinhao gives a generous flow. With jinhao feeds, I have found the feed to be insufficient for the nib and the flow gets a little drier within a page, but with the penbbs feed it keeps up extremely well. I might just polish the jinhao nib a little.

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I will have to try a Jinhao, I must have some Jinhao pens around, I know I have a X750 and X500 somewhere...

the only drawback is I know Jinhao nibs are really hard nails...

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Yes... they are not the most interesting nibs. I don't now what else to put. The Model 5 ebonite feels great but the pen is a little large. If I get used to it it could be a pen that I invest in a nib for... we'll see.

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Yes mine was the ED with ebonite feed, I usually prefer Ranga pens in ED due to the ebonite feed which provides great flow, but with this Kanwrite flex nib flow was not generous as usual and I could not get much flex out of the nib. The nib was also unusually misaligned, the feed would tend to stay more to one side, even trying to fix it it would return in the same position...rather odd.

I tried swapping the Kanwrite nib with others (since its friction fit, I just pull it out and use the same ebonite feed with a different nib).

However I tried Bock, Jowo, Stipula, Delta, Omas, #6 but they were all too thin, the nib would not stay firm, in some cases even fall out.

So I either get another Kanwrite, broader, hoping in better flow, as I don't really like fine nibs too much (with some exceptions), or I find a thicker nib that stays put (Jinhao as suggested by Muddy might work).

You could ask Ranga for a couple extra feeds to see whether swapping that helps. And I have an FPR Ultraflex nib in one of my Rangas, and it works great. Because I originally bought it with a non-flex Kanwrite nib, I did widen the ink channel in my original feed a bit rather than wait to get a flex nib feed shipped to me from India.

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